Qantas Receives its Second Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, Launches New Route in 2018

MIAMI – Qantas received its second Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, named after Australia’s unofficial national anthem, Waltzing Matilda.

“Banjo Patterson is said to have written Waltzing Matilda while working on a cattle station in the outback Queensland town of Winton, which was also the birthplace of Qantas 25 years later,” Qantas CEO, Alison Webster, said.

“The name of this aircraft will be seen by thousands of people a year when it pulls up at airport gates around the world. For Australian’s it’s a familiar touch of home. For some of our customers flying from overseas, there will probably be some googling to find out what it means,” remarked Webster.

The sequencing of the names will be announced as the aircraft are delivered.

The first international operation scheduled for Waltzing Matilda is Melbourne-Los Angeles, which is currently served by an Airbus A380.

“The Melbourne-Los Angeles flight was the first international service that we put our very first Airbus A380 on in 2008, so there’s a nice symmetry with this being the first for our Dreamliner as well,” added Webster.

Additionally, the Australian carrier said there’s new service between Melbourne and San Francisco to be launched in late 2018, that would be operated also by a Dreamliner.

“A significant number of our Melbourne passengers flying to Los Angeles already connect on to San Francisco. We also see strong demand from San Francisco, both from a tourism perspective and because of the business links between Melbourne and Silicon Valley,” said Webster.

The arrival of Qantas’ third and fourth aircraft are expected early next year.

According to the carrier, it will enable the Perth-London flight—the world’s longest—which originates in Melbourne. All eight aircraft will be delivered by the end of 2018, with half based in Melbourne and half based in Brisbane.

About Author

Alvaro Sanchez

Online Executive Editor. Journalist and Certified Radio Host. Studying for a Specialization in Public Opinion and Political Communications. Even though I love politics I've found myself fascinated by the Aviation World. I'm also passionate by economy, strategic communications, my family, my country, and dogs. mc@airwaysmag.com